I’ve never been too interested in anime and for a long time
the only title I’ve watched in its entirety is Gurren Lagann. When I was younger, Mega Man, Transformers, Doraemon, and the proverbial Myazaki
films enthralled me, but I’ve never really caught up with more recent anime
series and franchises until I began watching Attack on Titan about a month back. Since then I’ve also completed Legend of Korra (which I thoroughly
enjoyed and can’t wait to write about), but I figured I should write about my
thoughts and reactions regarding Attack
on Titan before I forget details.
Attack on Titan,
or Shingeki no Kyojin (進撃の巨人), is an anime based on the
manga series written by Hajime Isayama and first aired in 2013. I’m not too
familiar with manga artists or anime production studios so I really didn’t have
any baseline standard going into the series except for the hysteria generated
by anime fans and community members. Attack
on Titan has since exploded in popularity not just in Japan but abroad as
well, spawning many enthusiastic fans of the franchise and even a live action film in the making (I wonder how that’ll go).
The series is set in an indeterminate time period featuring
elements of medieval and steampunk technology in which humanity has been nearly
wiped out by titans: giant humanoids whose seemingly sole purpose is to eat
humans despite lacking a need to do so. Titans are big, stupid, and present a
horrendous mock-up of humanity. Humans have lived alongside titans for over a
century now and the remnants of human civilization shelter themselves within a
nest of three ridiculously large walls which are about fifty meters tall and
encircles a landmass equivalent of modern Germany (sure, why not). The walls
create a social hierarchy where the less fortunate live in the outermost ring
where it is more dangerous to live and work whereas those on the high road get
to live in comfort and safety in the center. Between human-looking titans and
the ability for humanity to still retain its problems despite a common enemy,
can you spot the “humanity-is-its-own-enemy” setup?
kinda like the earth kingdom
If you’re asking yourself “Where did the walls come from—did
people build them?” or “Who are the titans? Where did they come from?” I’d like
to answer by telling you how the series runs on cliffhangers and unanswered
questions, almost to an unhealthily expected degree. The Attack on Titan universe is dark, primal, and mysterious,
tantalizing viewers to find out more about the world and its inhabitants with
each episode, only to lure the views further with more questions than answers.
Enter our three protagonists, the paragon trio of
archetypes: Eren Jaeger, his adoptive sister Mikasa Ackerman, and their friend
Armin Arlert. Let’s keep this short: Eren is vengeful but inexperienced and
learns to temper and trust himself and, more importantly, others; Mikasa is
brooding yet sensible and is the female protagonist badass who excels at just
about everything except her only exploitable weakness is her will to do
anything to keep Eren safe; Armin is the nerdy wuss who is at first ready to
give up on everything but is then inspired by his friends through their mutual
suffering and perseverance despite the horrific genocide they live through.
armin, eren, and mikasa
Anyhow, the walls have never been breached for as long as
anyone can remember and most humans have never seen a titan until one fateful
day when the titans upped the ante of the human’s ridiculously high walls with
a ridiculously high titan. This Colossus Titan is different: its actions and
motions are filled with purpose and meaning, hinting at a higher level of
intelligence. The Colossus wrecks the outermost wall and disappears, prompting
a horrific attack on Eren’s hometown. The attack demonstrates to Eren just how
powerless and weak humanity is compared to the titans. As a titan kills his
family and destroys his home, a young Eren escapes with Mikasa and Armin,
vowing to become stronger to enact vengeance on the titans by hunting them
down, one-by-one.
The series follows the three anti-stooges as they confront
horrid reality and decide to take the fight to the titans by enlisting in the
military. Joined by other people from around the walls that have heard about
the attacks and people from their own devastated hometown, the three
protagonists and a cast of red-shirts begin their training and learn how to
combat the titans. What follows is a series of trials ranging from character
relations and tensions to practical combat experience and the horrors of war.
By the way, when I say that a cast of red shirts follows Eren, Mikasa, and
Armin, I don’t mean disrespect by insinuating that the background cast isn’t
fleshed out or interesting. The supporting cast members from various
backgrounds with a variety of attitudes increases the scale and stake involved,
showcasing that the battle isn’t just a regional issue, but one that all of
humanity is involved in. However, when you do have that many characters in a
dark fantasy setting, it’s hard to not see it coming.
Much like how fans of The
Walking Dead might say that the show isn’t about the gory, tense action
that comes from killing hordes of zombies, Attack
on Titan is much the same. However, when it does become time to kill hordes
of titans, Attack on Titan does it
spectacularly and in a maximalist fashion. Although conventional weapons like
muskets and cannons are utilized in the Attack
on Titan universe, the primary method of fighting titans involves the use
of Maneuver Gear that allows its user to fly through the air using a system of
wires, pulleys, and gas propulsion in order to close in on a titan to deliver
the killing blow. The resultant action sequences are vertigo inducing, physics
defying acts of combat acrobatics with astonishing animation quality and
direction that takes the audience along with the characters through the
Maneuver Gear motions.
it feels like they use a repeating tile set or something. but it's pretty cool!
Beyond its audio-visual presentation, the themes presented
in Attack on Titan are striking and
resonate within human history. The article “A beginner's guide to 'Attack onTitan,' the most intense anime of 2013” from The Daily Dot summarizes it pretty well: “the giants in Attack
on Titan are allegorical, serving as the gruesome pallette [sic] for an exploration of war and human
injustice.” Furthermore, the titans themselves were inspired by 19th
century Spanish artist Francisco Goya, who presented much of the same themes
regarding the horrors of war through giant, terror-inducing beings. In the
truly dog-eat-dog world of Attack on
Titan, the hunter-prey relationship is made apparent enough and it’s hard
not to cheer for our human counterparts to succeed in their quest for freedom
from the reign of titans, and in doing so, perhaps finding a way out of the
hunter-prey relationship.
goya's the colossus and isayama's titan
The military drama angle also added commentary on fascism
within the series. Another hallmark theme of Attack on Titan is sacrificing oneself for the good of humanity.
The parallels with nationalism and the walls representing a failed isolationist
policy are significant; the ideas expressed in Attack on Titan feels like a call-to-arms that glorifies
nationalism with appeal to the hip young kids the more I think about it. Here’s an interesting article from Twitch Film
that discusses the nationalism aspect in greater detail (although I can’t agree
with the stupid title it has). I don’t know if Isayama had a nationalist angle
going into the creation of Attack on
Titan, although the details that point to it are significant enough to
warrant a brief mentioning. Whether or not the nationalist angle was one of the
series utilities, I wouldn’t be surprised if it were one of the sources of
appeal to its audiences, at least at a subconscious level.
Speculation and interpretation aside, that’s Attack on Titan: a dark, fantasy action
anime series with an effective dose of war drama. The brooding tone of terror
and the depiction of a cruel world may dishearten some, but the perseverance of
the characters despite the circumstances and the sacrifices they make are
inspiring. Mikasa couldn’t have said it any better when she states, “the world
is cruel, but it’s also beautiful.” The conflict between the savagery of the titans
and the humans depicts the worst of wartime atrocities from both sides, but at
the same time sees the best of humanity coming through. Attack on Titan was inspiring and gut wrenching, if not terrifying
in its messages and themes.
